Into the Fire Storm
by Ryu Forte
Summary: When Brawl is announced, the Melee fighters aren't sure how react. Story revolves around the Fire Emblem characters, but all Melee and Brawl fighters get airtime in the story. Meant to be a comedy more than anything else. NOT SLASH! Enjoy.
1. Chapter 1

It was just another normal day of a normal week of a normal month. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary at the smash mansion. The characters who had migrated over to the second mansion from the first when the 'melee' was introduced, had long since adapted to modern life. But even after the first turnover of characters, some still adapted quicker than others.

This story truly begins with three angry women; they were either pacing, tapping their feet in annoyance, or banging angrily on a door in the middle of the hallway. One of which was much more upset it seemed than the other two.

"Are you done yet!?" One of them shouted with wrath, "You've been in there for over an hour!" The normally palled faced woman seemed more red in the face now. She was elegantly dressed, and elfin princess at appearance. Her fist met the wooden door once again with a resounding crack, the door threatening the shatter under the force of her hand. Another woman with her looked on worriedly, the flowing pink dress shuffling around her as she fidgeted nervously.

"Maybe we should just go elsewhere…it doesn't appear like he's going to be coming out any time soon." Her soft but high pitched voice piped up. The blonde woman in pink was not one for conflict outside of the fighting arena. She looked from the elfin woman to the only other in the group of three; a woman clad in futuristic body armor. The well protected space knight merely shrugged in response to the almost pleading look the woman in pink gave her, her folded arms barely even moving. The woman in the armored suit was more than happy to break down the door, even supply a bit of fire power with her arm cannon…but Master Hand would not be pleased in the destruction of his mansion.

Inside the door of the now revealed bathroom, there was a muted grumble before the abused piece of wood creaked open, revealing a rather handsome looking knight. (I would have said beautiful, but that's just not very fair) He was clad in blue and white, still primping his hair around an apparent tiara. (yeah, that's right, I called it a tiara) In a very princely way, the young man proceeded to ignore the three females in his path. He blew right by them as if they weren't even there, seeming to make no acknowledgement of them until he spoke.

"Are you happy now?" He asked almost boredly as he continued to make his way down the hall.

The elfin woman was the only one obviously fuming, ready to race down the hall and beat the young man in the face, had it not been for the younger woman in pink practically holding her back.

"Ooh, that Marth! I want to just rip him apart!" She growled between clenched teeth, her hands in tight fists. The blue-haired prince had always grated on her nerves, even when he had just walked into the doors of the melee mansion. The kind of air he carried around him was pompous with a thick dose of pride attached to it. And the Zelda, there really was something as too much pride. The prince was snobbish and acted like everyone was below him; everyone else was just more ground for Marth to walk upon. And the princess hated it, a major emphasis on the hate part. Thinking on this she spoke lowly, just loud enough for the other two to hear her, "I hope he's one of the ones getting replaced…"

Hearing this caused a gasp to usher out from the other blonde woman, a gloved hand going to cover her mouth in shock.

"Don't say that! He should be taken down a notch, yes, but that's just cruel!" Peach became worried again, a concerned look crossing her face and she looked down at the floor. There had been rumors flying around since a few weeks back when Ness had found a suspicious site on the internet. The site had said that the smashers were going to get moved into another, bigger mansion with new perks. There would be new fields and arenas to fight upon, leaving the melee to turn into more of a brawl. That was the better end of the deal though. From what the small boy had said, new fighters would be joining into the so called brawl…but at the price that some of the current fighters would be, in a word, discontinued. That was just a nice way of saying that they would end up in the hall of warriors. It was a new feature as of late, where fighters who were no longer wanted in fights would be retired to. It was considered the ultimate ending; some speculated that fighters went in and never came out. The very thought made Peach shudder, it sounded like a fate worse than death. The woman sighed, letting go of Zelda's arm. "It's bad luck to wish someone to The Hall…"

Zelda calmed a little bit, placing a hand on her hip and giving the mushroom princess an encouraging smile, "I don't think you'll be replaced, Peach. And that goes for you too, Samus. We're all too popular and good at fighting for Master Hand to replace us. But Marth…" Zelda stopped herself, not wanting to upset Peach any further. She looked over to Samus who only gave another shrug before commandeering the bathroom before the other two had a chance. Both Peach and Zelda gave soft groans at this, but were at least hopeful. "At least she won't be as long as Marth…"

--

Rumors in the Smash Mansion traveled fast. Many blew off the rumors thinking that's all they were and nothing more. Some took it harshly and became paranoid at the thought. But all but one had gotten over that feeling and moved on with their lives. This one particular fighter was wandering around on the first floor of the monstrous piece of property, searching for something…or rather someone.

His fiery red hair stood out against the stark whiteness of the walls on the first floor of the mansion, his armor clinking lightly as he walked. His cape fluttered about his feet as the young lord continued his search. Finding what he was looking for after what seemed like hours of search (more like a few minutes), the young man made his way hastily over to the object of his search, speaking in an almost whine, "Marth…"

The older prince made no effort to move from his spot on the couch, book still propped in hand. Marth didn't need to turn around to know who it was; the grating voice was enough for his feeble nerves. He turned a page of his book, ignoring the red haired menace that he knew was hovering behind him. The older warrior took great pride in making the other squirm, hearing that the boy was fidgeting already from the soft sounds his armor was making. Thinking that the other had been tortured enough for now Marth spoke up, "Can I help you?" he said in his nonchalant and airy tone.

The young lord fidgeted for a moment more, not knowing what to do with himself. He had the odd urge to be constantly moving. Constantly. So, the red head fiddled with the holster of his sword that was attached to his belt.

"Do you…Do you think the rumors are true?" Roy stepped back from the couch in case the other decided to attack. While Marth was not jumpy and quick to attack without a reason, the prince did have something of a temper. Roy often found the brunt of Marth's rage often ended up with Roy in the infirmary for a while. Then again, Marth would end up right there beside him too.

Instead of taking off the lord's head as expected, the prince just sighed in disdain. Though Marth did indeed have a short fuse, his temperance was better than it used to be. The prince had learned to become somewhat patient and level-headed when he was forced to lead armies into battle to protect his homeland…and it was tested again when he met Roy. The red head was an extreme version of a childish royal, taking things too literally and personally. And Roy happened to be the most annoying of any that he had met at the Smash Mansion, or even before that. While the child Link was almost as bad, he at least didn't whine and complain about everything…on account that he never spoke at all.

Turning his attention to Roy, but still not moving, Marth spoke surprisingly calmly. "Roy, that is the seventh time you've asked me in the past two days." Marth could hear Roy start to fidget again and the blue haired prince let another tired sigh pass his lips. "How many times have you visited The Hall now? You need to stop letting yourself be controlled by such idiocies. It's nothing more than something to scare you." Marth then returned to reading is book, sensing that Roy was still hovering over him. He made and unhappy sound in his throat before speaking up again, the tone of his voice threatening. "You're such a cretin, leave me alone."

The was enough pestering for Roy, knowing that he could get a severe beating if he stayed any longer. While Roy knew he could take the blue haired prince any day of the week, the young lord knew he couldn't at the moment. The thought of being replaced gnawed at him more than he wished, even loosing sleep over the thought. Even knowing that he shouldn't again, Marth had been correct that Roy had been visiting The Hall, the lord found himself back at the depressing place.

After marveling over the shining text that described what was inside, the young warrior made his way inside to look around the marbled hallway. Everything was covered in fine marble; the floors, walls and even the ceiling were plated with the textured stone. There were pedestals lining the hallway which seemed to travel on forever, and seemed to be just big enough for one person to stand on them. The purpose of these could only be left to the imagination. However, there was one that was occupied. A larger and more glorious pedestal in the middle of the large hallway was the base for the only statue that currently resided in this place.

The young fire lord walked up to the statue, running his fingers over the smooth stone that it appeared to be carved from. The statue was of a Nike, a symbol of victory for the Romans. Roy could only call it an angel, because he didn't know anything about Rome. But to the young man, the woman appeared to be sad, looking out at the hall with her arms seeming to curl around an invisible force that she wanted to protect. Could this possibly be his fate? To be a lifeless statue for evermore? It was disheartening to say the least. No one else may care, but Roy knew in the pit of his stomach if the rumors were true, then he'd be the first to go. Replaced by someone better, someone more well liked. He couldn't think of anyone at the moment, nor did he wish to dwell on such thoughts. All he knew was that his time could be short in this wonderful world of color changing paintings and marvelous food.

Suitably depressed, Roy trudged out of the Hall, hoping and trusting that what Marth and many others thought and said. Just a bunch of rumors. Stupid rumors. Untrue rumors. Breathing out a heavy sigh, Roy made his way to the kitchen, hoping that Zelda had made some of her favorite sweet snacks. Roy wanted and needed to forget about maybe having to write his own obituary.

Finding no one in the kitchen and none of Zelda's snacks around (Roy figured Link must have eaten them all) the young lord rummaged through the refrigerator for something to eat. Grabbing a sandwich and a soda, Roy sat down at the large table and ate in silence and alone. The young man's thoughts wandered to darker things such as people being replaced and who they would be. None of the Hylians for sure and no one from the mushroom kingdom either, they were just too popular. Samus and Kirby would stay knowing their fan base as would DK. The Starfox fighters and the Pokémon were just too damn cute for their own good, so they wouldn't get booted. So who did that leave? The thoughts drifted on as Roy finished his meal. There were the Ice Climbers, Ness and Capt Falcon…and then Marth and Roy.

The red haired warrior let his head thud against the table. Roy was never one to be a conspiracy theorist…or any kind of theorist for that matter. But the evidence was overwhelming, there was no way around it. Marth and Roy were out of the game for good. They were destined to be statues in the Hall. Forever. Why did no one know of the land from which they came from? It just wasn't fair that they were so obscure that they weren't popular. Now more than ever, Roy just wanted to set something on fire and just watch it burn.

It was then that Peach and Mario moseyed on into the kitchen to see Roy with his head on the table, his arms folded around the fallen cranium. Both Peach and Mario looked at each other, wondering what could possibly be wrong with the usually happy and upbeat lord.

"Roy, are you alright?" The mushroom princess asked, walking over to the young fighter's side. Mario sat on the other side of the table from the two, looking worriedly at the lord. The plumber and his brother had noticed Roy being mopey the last few weeks.

Roy on the other hand was off in a daze when Peach addressed him, too busy brooding over his own fate. When he sensed two people around him, he snapped out of his fog a little, registering that he had been asked a question. And one he wasn't too keen on answering at the moment. So in a typically fashion Roy just gave a soft and half-assed grunt, being either positive or negative. He just couldn't bring himself to give a damn at the moment. This response only worried Peach and made Mario furrow his brow. The blonde seemed to float over to Roy and laid a hand on his shoulder, speaking in a quiet and motherly tone.

"Aww, sweetie, what's the matter?" Peach must have been the nicest and most caring person, always worrying about others well being. But she was genuinely concerned about Roy, the rumors floating around had really shaken the warrior up to paranoia.

While Peach was waiting for an answer, Roy was trying to collect his thoughts in order to answer without going psychotic. And he was fighting a loosing battle in that department. So rather than trying to be the least bit rational, he blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"I'm gonna be replaced…Marth and I are be replaced…" It was soft and muffled by his own arms, but even Mario could hear the young fighter from across the table.

"Mama Mia! Are-a you-a sure about that?" The plumber exclaimed. He was no stranger to the rumors, Mario was there when Ness had found the website. But no one had heard any more than that since Master Hand refused to answer questions about it. Now the mushroom kingdom savior was worried, would he be one of the ones to be kicked to the curb? They were only rumors…but at the same time they held so much power and terror. It truly was a frightening thought.

Roy shook his head 'no' though it could barely be seen with the way he was positioned. Now the nearly crushed warrior lifted his head from the table, his featured drawn with disillusioned disdain.

"No, I'm not sure…but if there's not enough space for the new fighters and they have to make room for them, since me and Marth are practically unknown…we're doomed." The melancholy red head rested his head in his hands, messaging his temples. "There's no other way I can see it."

Peach and Mario shared a quick glance, the Italian giving a shrug in response. Rolling her eyes, Peach patted poor Roy on the shoulder before lightly stroking his back in reassurance.

"Now, now Roy. I'm sure you're just over-reacting. Master Hand hasn't made any big announcements about it and it's likely he never will. I'm fairly certain we're all safe." Which really meant she had no clue as to what might happen.

Roy looked over at Peach who was smiling cheerfully at him. He then looked over at Mario who gave a nod, and Roy was fairly certain that he could see a slight smirk under the man's mustache. The small dose of support from the two was enough to make Roy feel better, allowing the edges of his mouth to curl into a small, albeit sad, smile.

"Thanks you two. You're the best." Feeling like his legs were less weak than they had been, he stood and smile brightly at the mushroom kingdom fighters. "I think I'm gonna go get some rest. See you guys later." The young lord then walked away from the two, Peach giving a little wave goodbye to Roy. Mario gave a quaint nod when the armored soldier walked out, turning his attention back to Peach once Roy was gone.

"Poor-a Roy. He's-a so-a torn up-about this-s replacement rumor." Mario wasn't too worried about himself. Roy was probably right about the fact that he and Marth would got before anyone else. The man sighed, placing his hands behind his head in thought and looked over at Peach when she sat next to him. "Do-a you really think-a there-a will be-a downsizing?"

Peach looked thoughtful as she contemplated over an answer. "Well…no one got sacked when we migrated over to melee, and a bunch more people were added. The Hall of the Fallen was already here when we walked in the door...but was only unlocked recently…" She halted there, her eyes opening a little more, her hand going over her mouth. "…when the rumors started up…" Peach didn't think much about it until now, remembering the text on the only pedestal containing the Nike statue. '_May those who have fallen in this time be protected by this angelic nike for eternity and to the end of time_.' And not one of the fighters had been replaced thus far. Which could only mean one thing. "I…I think Roy may be right."

Mario, who had been staring into space until this point, snapped his attention to Peach, a horrified look on his face. With neither of them saying anything they just sat in silence until they both left and went their separate ways.

--

Roy once again passed the dreaded Hall on the way to his room, only on account that he had to pass it in order to get to his room. Looking into the large archway, Roy could see a gathering of people huddled around the statue of the Nike. Roy just shook his head and chuckled to himself leaving Bowser, Mewtwo and Ganandorf to mull over the meaning of the strange language written on the shining brass plate on the statues base. Continuing to his room, Roy traveled up the spiraling staircase to the second floor where many of the rooms where. There were a few exceptions who didn't sleep in rooms, like Falco who perched in a giant bird cage on the roof, or Ganandorf who had commandeered the basement, or Samus who slept in her starship. Otherwise, everyone's room was on the second floor. And lucky Roy, his roommate just happened to be Marth. But the best news was that the prince was nowhere to be found. Probably stalking the mansion hallways…gloating about his princely princelyness or something.

So the red head began to shed his layers, neatly placing his armor and outer clothing in the dresser next to his bed. Left in his undershirt and boxers, Roy flopped onto his bed, feeling the stress over the last couple of days start to drain from him. Soon unconsciousness took hold of Roy and he slid into sleep.

--

It didn't seem long after his eyes closed was Roy rudely awakened. He batted away whoever was trying to wake him up before rolling over and attempting to go back to sleep. This only caused a sound of irritation from the other and a rough kick to the rickety bed.

"Roy you little gremlin! Get out of bed!" Marth hated having to wake up the lord, it was more trouble than it was worth. As a last ditch effort, Marth went and got a glass of water and pulled back the sheets off of Roy's bed and sloshed the water into the red heads face.

"The hell!" Roy sputtered loudly, thinking he may drown on dry land. Sending an angry glare the prince's way, Roy wiped the water from his face. "What do _you_ want?"

"Well aren't you cheerful…" Marth stated sarcastically, crossing his arms and looking uncaringly down at Roy. The blue haired prince was already annoyed and the fire lord wasn't helping his mood. So in return for the trouble, Marth placed a hand on his hip and just stared at Roy for a moment or two before responding. "There's going to be a big meeting in 20 minutes. Master Hand wants everyone to assemble on the practice field under the dome." Marth looked down at Roy like he was a worthless piece of trash, tossing the glass onto Roy's bed and almost missing hitting the lord in the head in the process. "So get moving." Was the last thing Marth muttered before heading out of the room, his cape fluttering behind him.

Roy was going to retort an insult at Marth, but the words never left his mouth after what the prince had told him. Master Hand was calling a meeting. A big meeting. Roy couldn't help but think that this was the final nail in his coffin. The young lord dragged himself out of bed and slowly got himself ready, seeming to sink lower and lower into a depression. By the time Roy had gotten to the dome, everyone else was already there, save for Master Hand.

"About time you got here, you're so slow Roy." Marth commented, once again looking down at Roy in his high and mighty fashion. But that was all he said, seeing that Roy had a glazed look in his eyes. Which actually made the prince's eyebrows kneed together slightly it…was it possibly concern? Marth wasn't about to led himself give a damn about the lord, even though it seemed as though the prince actually had some heartstrings being pulled. Marth pushed the thought away when Master Hand floated into view. His brother, Crazy Hand, was not with him this time which many fighters found odd.

But everyone's thoughts were cut short when Master Hand's booming voice echoed in the domed room. "I'm sure you're all wondering why you're here, and I'm also aware that you have all heard and noted the rumors being spread. Well as some of you have already figured out, they are in fact true." Several gasped at this point, while Roy, Peach and Mario were silence and not surprised. Marth was actually shocked beyond words, which for him was extremely rare. After pausing a moment, Master Hand continued. "It is true that many will be coming in to join the new and improved Brawl, as well as a few of you will not be continuing on. There will be familiar faces, and some that none know. There will be new battlefields and stages but most will be familiar. I will introduce the new arrivals in a few moments." Then Master Hand floated away and out of view, more than likely to get the new fighters ready.

There was much chatter among the 25 fighters, thought several stayed dead silent. Roy, one of the few who already knew the truth, was quiet and only thought about his own demise and fate to go to the Hall. So the young fighter just stood there with a blank stare, looking only like a shell of his formal self. This more then anything battered Marth to no end. Sure, they stuffy prince enjoyed nothing more than tormenting the pyro, but this was something different. Roy wasn't just bothered, he was devastated. But now Marth began to feel like his short rival, the utter impending doom for the both of them sinking in. As much as he wouldn't admit it, Marth knew he wasn't all that popular. Little to no people ever heard of Altea, his homeland. So in the end Roy had been right, they were going to be replaced. Master Hand had said that only a few were going to be booted. Chances were high that it was going to be the two from Fire Emblem.

Many didn't have time for proper conversation before Master Hand was back with a whirlwind portal swirling behind him. How it was controlled was anyone's guess. But the attention was drawn away from the portal to the floating hand as he began to speak.

"I'm sure you're all wondering who you're going to be competing with in order to stay in the mansion. We'll start at the top. Coming from the Congo Jungle to re-unite with his family member, is Diddy Kong." The small spider monkey jumped out of the portal and practically flew at DK, chattering happily at the ape. DK was shocked that his little buddy had made it to the brawl, but was ecstatic none the less. Many became depressed at the sight.

Master Hand just continued on, eager to get this over and done with. "Next on the list are two from Dream World; King Dedede and Meta Knight." Kirby looked less than thrilled to see the two come out of the portal. Meta Knight had too much honor and pride and Dedede…well, he was just an idiot. If the little pink poof ball were to pick one to stay, it would be Meta Knight hands down. While they weren't always on the best of terms, the short knight was at least a competent fighter.

Master Hand kept this up, going on to introduce Lucario, Pokémon Trainer, Lucas, Wolf, Olimar, Pit, Warrio, Toon Link, R.O.B., Snake and Sonic. All new fighters went to stand in their respective spots, near their counterparts or on the ends of the growing group. Marth and Roy felt a bit better about their chances of survival, since there wasn't anyone there from their homeland. Roy actually perked up considerably at this new found knowledge. The two Fire Emblem fighters stood side by side, looking rather proud and very pleased about this outcome. No way they could be kicked out now!

The young lord was about to make a smart-ass comment when Crazy Hand floated into view. Whenever Master Hand's brother came around, it was never a good thing. For a hand, Master Hand looked confused as to way Crazy Hand would come around at such a time.

"You forgot one…" The psychotic looking hand spoke, "He was a late arrival, got caught up in processing. May I introduce, the mercenary Ike." One more being walked through the swirling vortex before the spinning plasma closed up for good. The man that walked through was tall and broad shouldered, wielding a large and cumbersome two-handed sword lazily in one hand. The navy-blue haired warrior walked over to stand next to Marth and Roy, and the latter felt sick knowing this was the end. The last shovel of dirt on his grave. Marth and Roy didn't say anything to Ike; they didn't even acknowledge the man. The two only watched Master Hand and Crazy Hand.

When no other remarks were made by his brother, Master Hand spoke. "This concludes the introduction, you're all dismissed." And then like they had come, both hands were gone. Everyone disappeared after that, some clustering together, others floating off on their own. Marth and Roy were the last ones to leave the practice grounds, neither of them saying anything. Roy was the first one to speak and move, dragging his feat behind him and speaking more to himself than anyone else.

"Just kill me now…" The mopey lord went on his way, leaving Marth rolling his eyes and Ike confused.

"What's wrong with him?" the mercenary asked, honestly having no idea what was going on, much less who the other two were. The poor guy was thrown into a situation of unknown origins. Marth just sent a short glance the mercenary's way, speaking curtly.

"He thinks you're replacing him. And more likely than not, you will." Marth then walked away, leaving Ike bewildered and even more in the dark. While Marth wouldn't admit to it out loud, he felt that he would be booted before Roy just because the fireball was so popular with everyone…while he was hated. Well, there was nothing he could change about that now. The prince would just have to suck it up and deal with it.

Ike looked at the back of Marth's head for a moment before catching up to him in a few quick strides. "Hey wait." Ike called, Marth pausing a moment before continuing on, sending Ike an irritated look.

"You're a big boy, I'm sure you don't need a chaperone to lead you somewhere. You're a mercenary right? Figure it out yourself…" After the comment, Marth wasn't expecting to be yanked back by the shoulder, the force strong enough to send him onto his royal behind had the hand not been there to hold him up as well. The prince found Ike looking at him with an odd seriousness, his cobalt eyes seeming to bore into Marth's crystal blue ones. Unaffected by this set back, the prince brought out his natural attitude again.

"Can I help you?" Marth said in his usual irritated tone. Ike stared at Marth for what seemed like forever, trying to size up his opponent.

"Yeah, ya can. Just because you're a prince doesn't give you the right to talk to me like shit. And I want to know what the hell is going on here." Ike let Marth go roughly, having little patience for the stuffy noble. "I also want your name." Hopefully, just getting the blue haired prince's name would give Ike some insight to who he might be. While his face seemed familiar to the mercenary, he couldn't place where he had seen it before.

When Marth was released, he brushed off his shoulder like the flake he truly was. How dare he! This Ike sure was a pushy one, but Marth was far too high and mighty to fight such a commoner. The truth was he was terrified the mercenary would tear him to shreds.

"What is going on here is that you've been selected to be a fighter in something called the Brawl. You fight when you're told to by Master Hand in order to please the masses. Consider it a kind of blood sport, you fight well and you earn your right to be here. And something that you missed is that some of the fighters here will not continue on, so it is much more dire that many people win such a thing. Else they'll be turned into a kind of trophy for Master Hand. A stone statue for the rest of your days." The prince vainly corrected his bangs that had fallen out of place. "And my name is Marth Lowell, Prince of Altea."

Ike raised his brow at knowing who the man in front of his was. So this spoiled brat was prince Marth? So much for the hero everyone portrayed him as. But not dwelling too much on the fact that this was the 'fabled' Marth, Ike was more interested in this fight that he spoke of. He had to fight in order to survive, nothing too difficult it seemed. The mercenary was used to that kind of thing. He was going to inquire more, but the prince had once again walked off. That was something that was quite irksome and would have to be dealt with at some point or another. But more importantly, Ike had to find his room, so the search was on.

The mercenary followed the throngs of fighters who were flocking back to the mansion, many of the veterans helping the newcomers find their rooms. Many had found the shocking truth that the mansion had changed once again to accommodate all the new fighters in just the time that the assembly had bee called. The large estate had undergone a complete transformation and now had a new interior as well as exterior. So, it would be a learning experience for all as the older fighters went in to explore with everyone else. But even with all of this, Roy was still down and out for the count, far from being even the least bit excited. The young fighter was still dwelling on the fact that Ike had come to replace Marth and himself. So preoccupied in his melancholy world of moping, the lord wasn't paying attention and walked headlong into the back of someone.

"Mmph!" Roy had found himself with a face full of feathers and unable to breathe momentarily. Backing up and trying to figure out what happened, he was met with a curious face and a cheerful smile. He piped up quickly with a "Sorry…" But the cheery looking boy just shook his head.

"No, it's ok." The angel offered out a greeting hand, looking child-like in his actions. "I'm Pit, nice to meet you." The angel's hand was bare for a moment before Roy remembered to shake it with his own. A western handshake was still alien to the eastern lord.

"I'm Roy." The lord now took in the sight of the angel, noting that he looked a bit like the statue in the hall…only Pit was a boy. It then occurred to Roy that the build and posture of the angel was similar to himself, and Pit's cheerful smile seeming to echo Roy's usual demeanor. Though it was curious, Roy did not dwell on it much, a small smile creeping across his face. Come to think of it, Roy hadn't thought he'd smiled in almost two weeks.

"Hey Roy! You want to help me find my room?" Pit chirped happily. The lord nodded, seeming to regain a bit of his old spark. The young fighter had been depressed and mopey for nearly two weeks, causing everyone around him to be brought down in spirits as well. But Roy figured that if he was going to be…discontinued anyway, shouldn't every moment count? And there was no definite answer that both he and Marth were going to be booted. Chances were now that everyone had been reviled, the Pokémon and a mushroom kingdomer would leave. Not to mention one of the younger Links would go. This bumped Roy's hopes up significantly, not to mention that he could very well have a new friend. The duo made their way to the new and shiny upstairs in search of their rooms.

"Just look on the doors, there should be one or two name plates on them. Look for the one that has your name engraved on it." Roy said as the two continued down the halls. The red head actually paused at one door, seeing that Marth had a new roommate and his name was Ike. Seeing this made the fire starter chuckle, catching up to Pit knowing that Marth was going to have one hell of a time with they change in roomies.

"Hey, I think I've found it!" The angel called from down the hall and waved at Roy. The lord jogged over and observed the brand spankin' new door. Indeed it had Pit's name on it, and a happy surprise to Roy, his name was right under Pit's. The sight made Roy smile like a loon. Pit also observed the name plates, a question rising to his lips.

"Uh Roy…why is your name plate burnt?" Roy blinked at the angel before smiling brightly and shrugging.

"Oh, just a little incident a while ago…" In truth it was three days ago that Roy's nameplate became charred for the utmost time. He shrugged again, murmured that he's clean it later. The lord picked up a key that was hanging next to the door and swiftly opened the lock, pushing in the door. Pit poked his head around the side of the door and looked around the room. It had that new room smell, hot off the press! The rather spacey room looked very simple on one side, while the other was already decorated with tapestries and flags. The angel assumed that that was Roy's side of the room since Pit didn't have anything with him.

The two walked inside, Roy rushing over to inspect his things, one sculpture more important to him than anything else. The sculpture was about 12" high of a rearing dragon, its scales painted in a fiery red that caught the light and made it dance about its form. His glass eyes were special, appearing to follow anyone that looked at it. Roy thought it was the neatest thing, mostly because it looked so realistic and life like. Plus it was a gift. Master Hand makes everyone do this secret Santa thing every Christmas. Last Christmas Marth ended up pulling Roy's name and the dragon was given to him as his gift. The only reason that the lord even knew it was the prince was because Marth was the only one who knew that Roy liked dragons. So in a way it was special. It even had the artists' signature on it! So while Marth and Roy weren't always on the best of terms, they at least had this kind of understanding. Kind of like a loose brotherhood.

The lord looked the figurine over with scrutiny, making sure his prize and joy hadn't been damaged in the move. Thankfully it was just fine, albeit a little dusty. He happened to look over at Pit, and the Greek angel looked a bit melancholy at his dull and empty half of room. Roy walked over and patted Pit on the shoulder, offering the winged boy a smile.

"Don't worry, you'll get lots of stuff soon." Pit felt better after Roy's kind words and returned his smile. Roy then pointed his thumb towards the door with a devious smile before walking out of the room. "C'mon, lets have some fun."

--

Ike had continued to follow Marth, much to Marth's displeasure. The prince prided himself in staying away from the common folk, and here he had one that wouldn't leave him alone, or rather, go away. Marth only grumbled under his breath and made his way to the upper floor in order to find his room, his new rival continuing to follow him.

"Stop following me and go find your own…" Marth stopped dead in his tracks and his speech seeing the name plates on the door.

"Because we're in the same room." Ike said bluntly, pushing Marth out of the way none too kindly and opening the door, and entering. The mercenary found that half of the room was bare, whereas the other was already personalized, though barely noticeable. It seemed to Ike as though his roommate wasn't all that keen on decorating, which was fine with Ike. He wasn't much of a furnishing designer anyway.

Marth was practically fuming because of this new bother. The peasant had no right to treat him the way he was. It was undignified! However, Marth wasn't about to pick a fight with the other blue haired swordsman, at least not at the moment. Mostly because if any part of the mansion were to get damaged, Master Hand would have their carcass on a silver platter. No, Marth would bide his time until the matches. But now Marth was sure of one thing; his old roommate would have been a better pick in his opinion.

And speak of the devil, said ex-roommate walked in the door with a new friend. Ike turned around to see Roy and Pit walking into the room, making the environment feel small and his claustrophobia kick in. Ike hoped that the two wouldn't stay long.

But it wasn't Ike they were there to see it seemed. Roy stopped in front of Marth and stared at him, Pit following up behind Roy. Marth looked none too pleased to see the two walk in. The prince made an annoyed sound in his throat and crossed his arms, staring down at Roy and Pit. They all stood there for a moment, Roy looking at Marth, Marth looking back at Roy un-amused. Ike just stood there trying real hard to keep from throwing everybody out then and there.

Luckily for the mercenary, it was all over in an instant. In one swift motion, Roy jumped up and snatched the tiara off of Marth's pretty little head and took off running, the angel hot on his heels and looking much like he'd seen a ghost. Marth was slightly stunned by the action, taking a moment to snap to a conclusion about what had just happened. That pause was only about a millisecond long at most, the prince curing loudly and making a big scene, chasing after the assailants in hot pursuit.

Ike was a bit dumbfounded about what had just happened and how the room had emptied out so quickly. The man rushed to the door just in time to see Marth bolt around a corner at the end of the hallway. He couldn't help but think how weird this place was an how he could keep from killing every living being there within the span of a week. But in this case, he chuckled softly to himself. If the fabled prince Marth could be agitated so easily, then he would enjoy the blow ups when they happened. Ike would consider it fair entertainment. Seeing as he had nothing else to do at the moment, he milled down the hallway in the opposite direction of the commotion to explore his new surroundings.

Marth was shooting down the hallways after the two troublemakers. The prince was a lot more athletic than he appeared to be, and he was fast to boot even with all of his clanky armor on. And because of that, he was gaining ground quickly in the chase. The angel was the farthest thing in the Marth's mind. If anything, Pit was only an obstacle that stood in the way of pummeling Roy.

"You gremlin! I'll beat you into dust and rip you to shreds!" The threats didn't stop flowing and the three didn't stop flying through the hallways. However, Roy running at top speed was slow and Pit noticed this, wondering if there was anything he could do to save his own skin. Pit also made the observation that Roy didn't seem too concerned about the angry prince on their heels. Roy instead laughed at Marth, turning his head to the side and sticking his tongue out at the fuming prince.

"You want your tiara back! You'll have to catch me first!" It was probably the worst thing that he could have said at the moment. And that was all Marth needed to hear in order to make his move. The prince pushed forward in a quick dash towards Roy before launching himself at the lords back. The armor clad 21 year old prince found his target successfully, tackling Roy at full speed. Both bodies tumbled to the floor with the force and rolled down the hallway for a short distance. Marth was the first to recover in his rage filled fury and descended his wrath on Roy, regardless if he still had the head band or not. Said head piece had been flung down the hallway at the time of the tackle and had clanked to a stop long ago.

Marth wasted no time in pinning Roy down, placing one of his sharp knees on the lord's chest piece, and using his body weight to hold the red head down. Lucky for Roy, Marth didn't have his sword on him else the lord would have been bleeding profusely by now. The prince did the next best thing and started beating the daylights out of Roy, the lord taking a moment before reacting to the assault.

And thus the fight ensued, nothing but cursing, shouting, and punches thrown. Pit had long since run off to find some help to stopping the fight, since he wasn't about the get caught into that fray without backup. So while the two swordsman beat the crap out of each other, a crowd had gathered to watch, drawn by the noise that could be heard through ought the mansion. The crown could care less about stopping the fight, more interested in taking bets about who would win. It hadn't taken long for the fight to escalate, neither Marth nor Roy having an advantage, or rather neither of them having a disadvantage. Punches were thrown and bruises and wounds dealt liberally, the fight continuing on until it could be stopped, or someone cared to stop it. To the two Fire Emblem warriors, it was considered a fight to the death.


	2. Chapter 2

We last left our fighters in a fight. Roy and Marth were the fighters and Pit had scampered off to go find some help. And there was a crowd right? Ahh yes, there was, wasn't there. And many of them were enjoying themselves since this seemed to be a usual happening around the mansion. The cheers and jeers had only escalated since the start of the fight so much of the noise was only that, noise. Indistinguishable chatter and rabble, however for a few it was enough.

The two fighters that the angel had recruited to help break up the fight made quick work in stopping it. Both mercenaries took hold of their targets and forcefully pulled them apart. Ike was the one who went for Marth, pulling the psychotic prince up and away, practically holding the lightweight in the air. Ike received a few sharp elbows to the head for his trouble, causing him to tighten his hold on the prince.

The other, a man known only as Snake went for Roy, pulling the boy away from the fight with an arm clench around the lords neck so that Roy's throat was in the crook of Snake's elbow. The mercenary had to keep himself from snapping the squirming red heads neck, seeing how he was in the perfect position to do so.

The two were pulled apart, much to the displeasure of the gathered crowd. Ike was more than irritated now and he hauled the prince away and down the hall to see if he couldn't get some sense into Marth. Ike set the young man down and released him, noting that Marth tried to make a bee-line back to Roy. Knowing the stubborn prince would not listen to reason at the moment; Ike grabbed Marth by the shoulder and turned him around so that he was facing the mercenary, swiftly smacking him upside the head in the same motion.

"Snap out of it!" Ike had little patience for people like Marth, so he was done with trying to be pleasant to the prince. "What the hell is your problem? All you seem to do is cause trouble for people, and you don't even care! You're a pompous, spoiled, and childish prince! How can you think that anyone wants you around when you act so arrogantly?" The mercenary was furious now; he had to restrain himself from hitting Marth again. "You're not worth my time…" Ike just chose to walk away, rather than let his blood continue to boil. He roughly shoved the prince out of his way and he disappeared down the hallway.

Marth was both appalled and surprised at Ike's actions. No one before the mercenary had ever treated him that was since he got here. It was true that Marth didn't know too much about how his actions affected his appearance to other people. In reality, he didn't care. But now with the coming threat of removal, that factor was really important. Once the prince stopped to think about it, his view at the mansion was not good. As this point he knew there was nothing he could really do to save himself except lay low. With this realization, the prince fled the scene quickly, going off into seclusion with his newfound embarrassment.

On the other side of the hallway, Snake finally released Roy after the lord had stopped struggling. The mercenary didn't say anything, but instead watched Roy rub his sore neck. Roy sent a questioning glare at Snake and the older man shrugged.

"Watch yourself, kid." The mercenary said in his usual hushed tone, patting Roy on the shoulder as he went on his way to do whatever. Roy watched him go, still a bit puzzled. That is until his attention was grabbed away again.

"Roy!" A flutter of wings and the angel was by Roy. "Are you alright? …You're bleeding!" Pit was both shocked and concerned when Roy started smiling like a mad fool. The lord reached up and touched his busted lip, looking at the glossy red that was now on his fingers. Shrugging, he whipped it on his pants.

"It was so worth it." The lord said as he continued to smile. "I really missed screwing with him." Roy started to walk off in the direction of the medical ward, the angel hot on his heels.

"You mean you've done that before?" The angel asked curiously. He couldn't understand why someone would want to do something again even knowing the consequences mean being in horrendous pain. The whole concept of it was mindboggling to the angel. Humans were so strange sometimes.

"Oh that? Only a couple of times…I've done other stuff to him too." The fire monger said proudly. Roy took great pride in making the prince's life a living hell. The short red head had no idea why he got so much entertainment out of it, but he did find it great fun. "You know, it'll be more fun now that I have a partner in crime! We can do all kinds of stuff to Marth now!" The young fighter chirped happily.

Pit froze for a moment before squeaking, "We?" Pit may have been an angel of divinity, but he valued his life…he wasn't immortal after all. And after the scene he just witnessed he wasn't so sure he was willing to bother the prince anymore. "I don't know Roy…I kind of like the idea of not being put into a hospital bed permanently." Roy only shrugged.

"Suit yourself." Not stopping until he got to the hospital wing, he walked through the doors to find Dr. Mario fiddling with some test tubes as always. The doctor looked up and sighed at the sight of Roy. The short man 'tsked' and rummaged through his medical supplies.

"What-a have you-a gotten yourself into-a this-a time Roy?" Roy walked over to the examining table as instructed and sat down. The doctor glanced up at Pit for a moment before walking over to Roy. "You-a didn't have-a anything to-a do with this-a did you?" Pit waved his arms furiously in front of himself.

"N-No sir!" Pit was cut off by a yelp of pain from Roy, obviously getting his wounds disinfected. A soft and short grunt from Dr. Mario said to Roy that he should stop moving and suck it up. A fidgety patient was not the easiest to treat. The angel walked over to the two, watching curiously as the doctor patched Roy up. When he was done, Dr. Mario patted Roy on the shoulder and went back to his work. Roy's face was covered in bandages and gauze, but otherwise looked cheerful.

"Thanks Doc!" The lord smiled brightly at the doctor. The doctor in return only gave a short grunt in response, knowing that Roy would be back sooner or later. Both young fighters now took their leave of the clinic.

"How often do you end up in there?" Pit questioned softly. He could see the look the doctor gave his friend, knowing that the swordsman had been there many times before. Roy just shrugged as the two walked.

"Maybe…a few times a week? I don't know." The main reason that he ended up in the doctor's domain was because of his squabbles with Marth. Very rarely did the red head end up there because of the fighting matches. Nope, most of his injuries were self induced or the result of something he did on purpose; screwing with Marth on the top of his list. Until the day he dies, Roy would never pass up the change to make the prince's life a living hell.

Before the angel could respond, an alarm went off followed by a message over the loud speaker. "Would Young Link, Pikachu, Ike, and Snake please report to stage battle _Congo Jungle_…" The announcement repeated two more times before cutting out. Roy and Pit shared a glance before making a mad dash to the stage, Roy in the lead. While others could not participate in the battle, they could watch and study their opponents. The teleportation beam was shining as brightly as ever and every fighter but one was flocking to the light so they could watch the battle soon to begin. Roy was most interested to see Snake and Ike fight, seeing as they were really good at stopping them.

As they were all teleported to the viewing stands a suitable distance away from the actual fighting stage, the fighters were being warped in. Snake was the first to act, going after his number one threat: Ike. Ike on the other hand was too busy dodging the electrical currencies from the yellow and black rodent. Those electrical energy attacks actually hurt. And as usual Young Link was once again an opportunist, taking shots at everyone and letting his arrows fly.

Snake was lucky enough to dodge every one of the arrows send his way, fighting the long ranged battle by throwing grenades at the young and irritating fighter. Young Link threw bombs in response. Pikachu and Ike were in the middle of the fray so they ended up getting hit by most of the throw ammunition. That was one entertaining fireball. And because of this, both fighters' attention was ripped away when a flying streak of yellow and black flew across the stage, turning their attention to Ike who had finally gotten a hit on the small Pokémon. And just as they set their sights on Ike, the mercenary seemed to fly across the stage, sword bared, getting a sold strike on Snake and sending him back. Snake recovered quickly but not before a green clad elf came hurtling his direction. He dodged the oncoming meat missile and fired a bazooka shot at Ike, the shot hitting Ike square in the chest.

Pikachu threw out a large thunderbolt at the already near death Link and sent him flying off the stage for good, a warp stream reaching up to grab the young Hylian warrior and teleported him to the spectator box, where he proceeded to pout. One down, three left. Pikachu then went onto the offensive, going after the biggest target. Ike seemed to be drawing a good amount of hate in just a few short minutes. The new fighter was quickly earning his spot on the roster. Even though he was a hate magnet, the mercenary was holding his own in the current two against one fight. But between the two mercenaries, Pikachu somehow got caught in the middle. One swift kick form Ike, and a boot to the face from Snake and the Pokémon was sent flying into the distance. And then there were two.

The last two standing now took the time to back up and size the other up. Ike was panting hard, finding it difficult to catch his breath. While it wasn't noticeable from a distance, Snake was starting to wear out as well. And Snake wasn't willing to stand around and wait for something to happen. He rushed forward towards Ike who tried to put up a block not realizing he was so low on energy. Ike's shield broke and he was momentarily stunned, giving Snake the opportunity and advantage of attack. Running at Ike now, Snake threw his feet out in front of himself and his Ike hard with the bottoms of his boots. The resulting attack was Ike's doom and inevitable death from the match, the teleport beam casting its light onto the young fighter and putting him into the viewing stand with everyone else.

Victorious music from Snake's home world played in the distance and the mercenary instinctively struck a victory pose. Most of everyone cheered or clapped for Snake's victory, save for his three opponents. The loud speaker on the sides of the stage came to life with another announcement.

"Another fight will take place on a different stage, be patient as we round up the fighters and teleport everyone there." There was some chatter about the next fight. It was uncommon for two fights to be held back to back. Usually there were a few hours of rest time in between. Before anyone could discuss much further, the entirety of the audience was teleported to _Dreamland._ The fighters teleported onto the stage with their usually grace, ready to begin the match. The first three that appeared were Samus, Meta Knight, and Mewtwo. The last to be seen was a very bewildered Marth. He obviously wasn't expecting to be seen so soon.

But it was long forgotten as the fight was initiated. The fighters in the viewing stands were cheering for their favorites to win. Not surprisingly, not one of them was cheering for the prince. He be damned if he didn't win this fight. Marth felt like he needed to prove his worth to these wretched people.

The prince made the first move, dashing towards Mewtwo and swiped at the mentalist with Falcion. Mewtwo merely dodged out of harms way, sending a glob of psychic plasma at the prince before moving on to Samus. To the Pokémon, Marth wasn't worth the effort. This only angered the prince, ready to attack Mewtwo in his newfound furry when there was another in his way.

The short knight may have been an opponent, but at least he seemed to understand the prince a bit better than the rest. Meta Knight made a kind of bow before readying his sword to Marth. Marth nodded towards the other before brandishing his own weapon. However, before the secluded fight could even begin, and out of place missile whizzed by the two swordsmen. Each shared a glance, a quick nod and they were off. What better to settle a duel than kill the other opponents first? Marth went for Samus and Meta Knight dashed for Mewtwo. The way that the two swordsmen were acting had everyone in the crowd looking at each other in question. Could it be possible that Marth was more than what was always seen? Most blew it off with a 'nah', and went back to watching the unfolding match.

Marth rushed Samus, landing a powerful blow on the bounty hunter and sending her back a suitable amount. She retaliated by launching a barrage of weaponry at the prince; missiles, energy blasts and charge-up beams. With the agility that the nimble prince relied on, he dodged every blast and countered a few, sending some of the blast back at Samus. With the bounty hunter trying to deal with her own attacks, the young prince was able to get in close enough to start unleashing a fury of attacks on the space warrior. He was unrelenting in his attack until a blaster cannon was shoved into his face and a kick that knocked him unbalanced. Before Samus could get another round of attacks off on Marth, said prince had ducked down and stabbed at on of the steel boots the female fighter wore. It was her turn to be knocked back and unbalanced and was felled to the ground. Before the poor fighter could make a recovery, Marth had a charge attack ready and struck at the face of the bounty hunter, sending her flying off the stage.

Over with Meta Knight, he was having a bit more difficult time with Mewtwo. Where ever the short knight thought he could get a strike in, the psychic creature vanished and reappeared somewhere else and pelted the Dreamlander. But the dark knight caught on to Mewtwo's patterns and was able to get hits in. It wasn't long before Mewtwo was getting irritated by the troublesome knight. The wretch was actually starting to damage him! And the mind bender wasn't going to stand for it anymore. Mewtwo gathered energy into his hands and berated the knight until he was backed practically off the stage, just before stunning Meta Knight with a glance. Mewtwo chuckled, knowing this would be the end for the knight. Before the final blow was dealt, Mewtwo was forced to jump out of the way from a flurry of sword strikes that seemed to come from nowhere.

Angered beyond words, Mewtwo whipped around to stare at the prince from Altea. Marth made no move other than his first preemptive strike. The furious Pokémon started to float over to Marth with he was struck abruptly form behind. Mewtwo flew towards Marth, who gracefully dodged and jumped out of the way, so Meta Knight could finish the psychic off. The knight from Kirby land gave and odd look to Marth, but it was more of thanks then displeasure.

Mewtwo struggled to his feet as the short knight flew over to him with speed, striking a final blow to the Pokémon. Mewtwo soared off the stage with a mental, but loud curse to Meta Knight. The Dreamlander looked back at Marth and the prince nodded, ready to finally finish their duel. Meta Knight made a run at the prince, unleashing a flurry of sword strokes that were so fast they blurred together. Marth jumped out of the way, but not unscathed. The prince was nimble, that was well known, but he couldn't dodge Meta Knight forever. When Marth did swing, he found that Meta Knight had an advantage; because of his small stature, he could easily dodge a normal attack. So the prince would have to smarten up about how he fought.

Marth hadn't even had time to blink before he was swept into a whirlwind of flying blades…and pain. The prince had taken considerable damage from the attack and was chucked off stage, but not far enough for the teleporter to be sent into action. Marth jumped up and grabbed onto the edge of the stage, hauling himself back onto the stage to see Meta Knight coming for him. As Marth set foot onto the ground he dodged around and out of the way of short knight before he could finish him off. Marth made sure to put some distance between himself and Meta Knight so that he could think of how to attack next.

The fight had been going on a suitable time by now and both fighters were close to death. The end result would be who could get a hit off first and so far the favorite was Meta Knight. Encouraged by the cheers from the crowd, Meta Knight flew at Marth, sword bared. The prince looked utterly defeated and didn't even bother to move, waiting for his inevitable demise. As Meta Knight was about to strike, Marth put up a block and immediately countered the attack, sealing Meta Knights fate. The small knight sailed off the stage and the battle was over.

Music from Marth's home struck up and Marth sheathed his sword, saying nothing and just walked away. It was unlike the prince to not say a word after a victory; his pompousness usually reared its ugly head for all to see. But no, Marth just walked away without a word causing everyone to chatter like it was the end of the world.

Since no other announcements were made, Roy jumped down through the seating to the teleportation beam back to the mansion. Once he set foot on solid ground the swordsman sought out Marth, finding him walking away very quickly. The red head ran over to the prince and caught up with him in no time.

"Hey!" Roy chirped, smiling at Marth. The prince made no acknowledgment that Roy was even there so the lord continued, "Nice job, you really whipped that short dude!" Marth still didn't reply, merely kept walking away. Roy was curious now. Marth hadn't acted like this since they first arrived here. Roy tried to get a reading on Marth, but alas, nothing could be found. "You ok?"

Marth finally turned to Roy and looked at him with that 'I detest you and this place' look. He turned back around and picked up the pace a bit, hoping the annoyance would eventually leave him alone. Unfortunately, said annoyance kept following the prince like a lost puppy. Marth finally spun around, anger evident in his features.

"What do you want!" was the snapping remark, his frustration with himself practically boiling over at the moment. The stress of the previous battle not helping his nerves any. Depending on what Roy said, Marth might just kill him on the spot.

"You're acting strange…" Roy said bluntly. Marth balled his fist and motioned to use it, but Roy waved his hands in front of him to hopefully placate the prince. "No, no! I mean that you're not acting as yourself. You didn't even say anything back there when you won. It's just not…you know." The young lord trailed off completely loosing the wording he had in his head.

"No, I don't know." The prince growled, once again the lingering fist threatening to strike. The prince was much more irritable now than he ever was in the past. Perhaps it was because deep down he knew that it was his own doing that caused most of his problems. Or he knew that no matter how hard he fought he was going to be canceled. But he be damned if he backed down and rolled over dead.

"You're not being Marth, Marth." Roy sighed, knowing that his low social points would bite him one day. "It's like you're a completely different person in just a few hours? What happened to make you like this?" Now Roy was not one to be all soft and mushy like this. In fact, he wanted to smack himself upside the head for even giving a damn about Marth. All the prince did was cause him trouble, and he was brutally annoying. But on the other hand, Marth did provide him with entertainment and if that went away, Roy would be bored. Or he would find someone else to pester. But as sad as he was to admit it, Roy kinda sorta thought of Marth as a friend. They acted like siblings around each other, if the squabbles were anything to go by. So, in a brotherly kind of way Roy was concerned.

"Things change, Roy. People change." The prince said simply before unclenching his fist and walking away. Ike was right, he needed to grow up and start acting like and adult. If people had a problem with him then that was their problem. He was a prince and the heir to a kingdom, might as well start acting like one. Responsible.

Roy honestly had nothing to say, there was nothing to say to that. Marth wanted to change? The whole idea was alien to Roy. Someone doesn't change out of the blue, especially in just a few hours, there has to be a reason. Then he remembered; their fight that was broken up, one of the fight breakers was Ike. Something that the mercenary did or said must have caused the change. With this new theory in mind, Roy left Marth alone to seek out Ike instead.

-----------

Ike wasn't all that hard to find, since he was in his room trying to figure out the computer. The mercenary had successfully turned it on by pressing buttons until something happened. Not that the computer was booted up, Ike was at a bit of a loss as to what to do with it. If he waited too long to move the clicker thing, the painting box would shift to painting lines that moved across the screen. He knew he could click on the icons and they could light up, but still had no clue as to what he was doing.

When there was a knock on the door, he just assumed that it was Marth coming back to get something. Instead when the door groaned open Ike was surprised to see Roy standing there. The mercenary raised and eyebrow as Roy looked at him with some unknown contempt.

"I want to speak with you." Roy said as professionally as he could. He noticed how Ike was fiddling around with his new computer but failing miserably at doing anything. So before he grilled the other fighter, he thought he'd help him out a little bit. "You double clicky the small pictures to make stuff happen."

"What do you want." Ike asked in his now usual tone. Even though he hadn't been there long he knew that the red head was trouble. While he had willingly given Ike a valuable piece of information about the picture box, he was skeptical about why the lord was there in the first place.

"What did you do to Marth." Was the blunt reply. Screw formalities, he wanted answers so he skipped right to the chase. Roy knew Ike had something to do with Marth's sudden change in demeanor. Whether or not he was the main cause was yet to be determined, but the lord would get to the bottom of this one way or another.

"Excuse me?" Ike questioned looking more puzzled that he meant to look. What did he do to Marth? The mercenary didn't remember doing anything besides talk to the prince after he broke up the fight between Marth and Roy. Why the other fire swordsman was coming after him he wasn't sure, but he really didn't care either. So he waited for a response from Roy, who already looked somewhat agitated.

"You heard me." Roy said trying to keep from attacking the new fighter, which would usually be his first course of action. No, if he needed to, he'd get Ike. "Something you did made him start acting weird. What was it?" The young lord couldn't explain why he cared so much. Perhaps it was just the need to know, or maybe it could be fixed with the answers. Ike watched Roy carefully, answering shortly and truthfully.

"I told him to stop acting like a child and grow up." The mercenary shrugged, turning his attention back to the computer. As far as he was concerned the conversation was over; Roy had his answer so there was no reason for him to stick around.

Roy stared off into space for a moment. The answer was much more simple than he could have guessed. The lord had originally assumed that Ike ad roughed the prince up for such a dramatic change. But he had only spoken to him? It just didn't add up in Roy's mind.

Roy's mere presence annoyed Ike to no end. He would rather have a room to himself, but no. He's roomed with a childish prince and a lord that would currently not leave him alone. Surely he had something better to do.

"Why are you still here?" The mercenary asked boredly, growing more irritated the longer Roy stood there. And the room once again started to close in around Ike. He heard a 'hmph' usher from the red head before his boots clomped on the floor. Ike looked to Roy, now very close to him, pushing the boundaries of his personal bubble. An uneasy sound came from Ike's throat as Roy peered at him from very little distance.

"I don't believe you." Roy said shortly. Ike blinked at the lord and he looked cornered, but for other reasons than Roy suspected. "You did more that talk to him. I know Marth, he ignores everything anyone tells him." He received another blink from Ike and Roy grit his teeth. What a stubborn guy! What could he possibly be hiding to look like a trapped animal?

"Get. Out. Of. My. Face." Ike growled, having enough of his personal space violated. When Roy didn't move and kept his harsh gaze on the mercenary, Ike lost it and shoved the lord away from him, nearly half way across the room. He was fed up with these other Emblem fighters! They were so pushy and annoying! "I told you to back off! I didn't do anything to that spoiled prince! Are all of you mentally insane!"

"Gah!" Roy stumbled back as he was forcefully pushed away. He glared at Ike and gave him a snarl, "I think you're the one with the problem! Everything was fine before you came along!" The lord was about to loose all control and attack Ike. While Ike would argue that the lord was the perpetrator in starting the fight, it was the mercenary who made the first assault.

"Everything was fine?" Ike sot back, almost hollering at Roy, "So you just took all of his shit and forgot about it? That prince is a menace, and you just let him walk all over you people!" The mercenary was just about at the point to reach for his sword and hack this idiot in two.

"What is your problem!" The lord was becoming more animated as his anger swelled, "You're the one who's acting like a child!" That was it, the last word that killed the tension. Ike flew at Roy and the lord was more than happy to oblige Ike in his actions. There was a loud clatter in a lock of steel and strength. Ike appeared to have a definite advantage because he was taller than Roy and more powerful in strength. But it took more than brawn and a height advantage to win a fight.

Roy allowed Ike to overpower him and he countered the mercenary before dodging away. Ike's sword swung down hard and splintered that part of the floor. When Master Hand got a hold of Ike, the mercenary would be traumatized forever. It might even save Roy's skin. As Ike was trying to leaver his sword out of the floor, Roy swiftly struck back and only nicked Ike's cheek, causing a barely bleeding slash of a cut. The lord then made his escape, not to run away, but to lure Ike on a chase that would ultimately be the blue-haired swordsman's doom.

Ike let out a grunt of pain and frustration as his cheek was split open, bellowing at Roy as he finally freed his sword from the wooden floor. The mercenary bolted down the hallway after the lord, his sword poised in his hand to attack the smaller swordsman. The young man didn't have to go far to find Roy, and he went for another strike with a roar. This time as Roy dodged away, Ike's blow landed in the wall.

"Stop moving!" was the growl shouted with wrath from Ike. He didn't even bother thinking about how ridiculous that sounded. This time he easily pried his weapon from the wall and chased after Roy. Ike would strike and Roy would block and dodge. The mercenary would strike again, and the lord would counter and strike, causing small nicks and cuts all over Ike's face, neck, and shoulders. It was stressful on Ike because he had not yet experienced a fight like this. And what was worse was that he was loosing.

Roy seemed to dance away from Ike, his moves precise and though out as he led Ike down the stairs in the main lounge. The sounds of the fight turned heads and caused immediate chatter. It also made some very uneasy. As the ringing of steel meeting steel wrung out, one of the other swordsmen jumped to his feet and attempted to draw his sword, but a hand gently stopped him.

Link looked at Zelda, obviously unnerved about the situation, but backed his hand away from his weapon. They all watched the fight that now seemed stably at a stalemate. The swordsmen locked weapons again and attempted to overpower the other, now not even moving an inch. The rest watched on worriedly, knowing the consequences that this would bring.


End file.
